LYON, France: Paris Saint-Germain crushed Monaco 4-1 to win the French League Cup on Saturday for a record fourth straight year and seventh time overall.
Monaco has been one of Europe’s best attacking teams, scoring a whopping 130 goals in all competitions, but this time poor defending allowed PSG to dictate a one-sided final.
“I’m happy for the trophy and for the fact we showed a rival (Monaco) that we could play well,” PSG coach Unai Emery said. “It’s good for our motivation and our confidence.”
PSG remained on course to defend its domestic treble from last season.
“When we play with the character we showed today, it’s difficult for teams to play against us, even Monaco,” PSG center half Thiago Silva said.
Both sides are in the French Cup quarterfinals next week, and Monaco leads the French league, three points ahead of PSG, with eight games left.
“Every competition is different. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to play as well in the league because we lost this game,” Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim said. “It’s a good experience for a lot of our players, who had never played in a final.”
Striker Edinson Cavani scored twice to set a new personal season best with 40 goals, but was quick to praise his teammates.
“We played with humility, consistency and a sense of sacrifice,” Cavani said.
He volleyed in PSG’s third goal after an exquisite pass from midfielder Marco Verratti to beat his previous best of 38 with Napoli in the 2012-13 season — just before he joined PSG for a French transfer record of 64 million euros ($68 million). He hit a clinical half-volley in the last minute from Angel Di Maria’s superb cross from the left.
Cavani also missed an open goal and had a first-half chance brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, but the striker has largely carried PSG with his goals and he has excelled since Zlatan Ibrahimovic left for Manchester United.
Winger Julian Draxler opened the scoring for PSG in the fourth minute, collecting an unselfish pass from Di Maria for an easy tap in, and returned the favor when he set up Di Maria to make it 2-1 just before halftime.
Attacking midfielder Thomas Lemar gave Monaco hope when he scored the goal of the game in the 27th, a brilliant curling shot from the edge of the area that wrong-footed goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Monaco was missing top scorer Radamel Falcao through injury and key midfielder Fabinho through suspension. Fabinho’s absence was more keenly felt.
“We really weren’t expecting this,” Monaco midfielder Nabil Dirar said. “Perhaps we showed them too much respect, we let them play, they gained in confidence and we paid the price. “
Marseille 1 Dijon 1: France playmaker Dimitri Payet scored with a superb curling free kick as Marseille salvaged a home draw.
After midfielder Gregory Certic’s own goal gave Dijon the lead in first-half injury time, Payet replied three minutes after the break. Some 30 meters from goal, Payet whipped a shot into the left corner with hardly any run up.
Bastia 0 Lille 1: Bastia moved closer to the second division while Lille moved further away from the relegation zone, climbing up to 13th place.
PSG wins French League Cup for record 4th straight year
PSG wins French League Cup for record 4th straight year
Nacho Elvira keeps cool to lead by 2 shots at Dubai Invitational
- Spaniard goes into final round with advantage over Dylan Frittelli, Shane Lowry, Marcus Armitage
DUBAI: Nacho Elvira kept calm in breezy conditions to earn a two-shot advantage heading into the final round of the 2026 Dubai Invitational.
The Spaniard shared the overnight second-round lead with Shane Lowry at five under, and he negotiated an early bogey with four birdies to card a steady 68 on Moving Day at Dubai Creek Resort.
Elvira is seeking his third DP World Tour title after successes at the 2021 Cazoo Open, supported by Gareth Bale, and the 2024 Soudal Open.
At eight under he leads by two from a stellar chasing pack at six under, with Dylan Frittelli sharing second place after a sparkling 66 alongside Lowry and Englishman Marcus Armitage.
Elvira said: “I’m very pleased. It’s been a tricky couple of days with the wind. I’m pretty happy with it.
“I’ve been here long enough to not be too nervous tomorrow, in a way. I’m going to try and enjoy, and learn from the experiences in the past and see what happens. I’m extremely happy.”
Elvira was soon the sole leader, despite opening with three pars when Lowry bogeyed the third to slip back in the pack at four under alongside Frenchman Antoine Rozner and Frittelli, who made fast starts.
Lowry dropped another shot at the sixth but when he birdied the next, there was a four-way tie at the top.
His Spanish playing partner bogeyed the seventh just moments earlier as he joined Lowry, Rozner and Frittelli at four under.
The leadership group increased to five when Matt Wallace rolled in his third birdie of the day at the 10th.
Just as Wallace’s putt found the hole, Rozner jumped ahead on his own at five under with a gain at the ninth.
Frittelli’s birdie at the 11th saw the South African move alongside Rozner at the top, only for Lowry and Elvira to follow suit at the same hole for both players to rejoin the lead.
Elvira started his back nine with another birdie to regain the outright lead at six under and then extended his advantage to two when rolling in from 8 feet at the 13th.
Frittelli and Lowry remained in the chasing pack at five under and were joined by Armitage — who responded to a bogey at the seventh with three birdies in four holes from the 10th — and Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy opened with a birdie before dropping a shot at the fourth on a steady front nine, but gains at the 10th, 13th and 16th took him into contention.
A magical recovery from Frittelli at the last saw him close with an unlikely birdie to set the clubhouse mark of six under, with Elvira having three holes to play.
The leading Spaniard regained his two-shot advantage with a lovely 17-footer for birdie at the penultimate hole before closing with a par.
Lowry mixed two birdies and two bogeys on his front nine, but had to wait until the 17th for his next gain before horseshoeing his birdie putt at the last.
Frittelli was bogey-free in his 66 thanks to a hat-trick of birdies from the third before further gains at the 11th and last.
Armitage rolled in a birdie effort from 21 feet at the 18th to climb alongside Frittelli at six under.
World No. 2 McIlroy parred his way home in his 68 to sit in solo fifth, while Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen and South African Jacques Kruyswijk both carded flawless rounds of 66 with Spaniard David Puig for company at five under.
Geoff Wang was the 2026 Dubai Invitational Team Event Champion following a total of 17 under.
“It's incredible,” Wang said. “I’ve not spent a lot of time in Dubai, it’s only my second time, but to experience this place on this occasion and on this beautiful golf course, the tournament is exceedingly well run.”
